Metal billets are typically produced by vertical direct chill casting operations as well as by horizontal casting procedures. A typical horizontal casting mould is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,266.
Horizontal casting has an advantage in being capable of producing ingot continuously, but as a result require specific means to ensure continuous smooth extraction of the ingot and cutting to length which to not interrupt the continuous process.
Gordon and Scott, Canadian Patent No. 868,197, describes a horizontal casting machine for casting aluminum billets. It includes pinch rolls for moving the cast billet and a flying saw for cutting the billets into lengths.
In Klotzbücher et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,451, a horizontal casting machine is used in combination with a homogenization furnace. A flying saw is used to cut the cast billets, in which a billet clamp is integral with the saw table and travels with it.
Peytavin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,740, describes a rotary saw for cutting billets where the billet is rotated in a direction opposite to that of the saw.
In Bryson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,431, grooved side gripping belts are used for gripping the side edges of a horizontal cast slab for moving the slab forward.
Dore et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,173, describes a horizontal caster using V-grooved blocks on a chain drive along with roller type loading devices to withdraw billets from a horizontal caster.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for handling and cutting horizontally cast billets which results in improved billet quality.